


Marriage is Just a Contract

by tshmarie



Series: Changes [2]
Category: Mercy Thompson Series - Patricia Briggs
Genre: Canon Gay Relationship, Established Relationship, Gay Marriage, M/M, Post-Canon, Werewolves, fluff with a plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:41:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23857039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tshmarie/pseuds/tshmarie
Summary: Mercy stepped out The backdoor, wearing a dress for the second time in the years I’d known her, and behind her was Kyle. My Kyle. I found it didn’t matter that it was a $700 suit. He looked stunning.— —Warren and Kyle sign a contract. That’s it. But then again, Mercy and Adam eloped and we know how that turned out.Sequel to Warren’s request. You should definitely read that first.
Relationships: Kyle Brooks/Warren Smith
Series: Changes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718647
Comments: 3
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone who read Warren’s Request! Here’s the wedding! Probably not exactly what you expected, but Kyle’s a divorce lawyer and a cynic. *shrug*  
> Any grammar errors are entirely Warren’s fault.

Kyle and me got married about a month after he proposed. We might have done it sooner, but Kyle came home from work one day, flopped onto the couch and informed me,

“We’re not doing it in a courthouse. I go there to dismantle marriages; I won’t forge ours in the same building.”

I saw no reason to argue with him, but that meant figuring out where we wanted to hold it.

That first Sunday at Pirate Night, Ben—of all people—noticed my ring.

“Oh, would you look at that; our gay werewolf has got himself engaged.” He announced. He used four more words and a much more insulting reference to my sexuality. Coming from Ben, it was almost affectionate. Almost.

The game was interrupted for a moment as we confirmed that, yes, Kyle and I were engaged. The girls all wanted to see my ring. It was a bit ridiculous, so I snuck up and killed Luke’s character to get everyone’s focus back where it belonged.

“You know,” Auriel began, in the middle of raiding a village, “My coworker was telling me on Friday that just about anyone can officiate at a wedding these days, you just have to fill out a form online.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Luke asked.

“I’m just saying, since we seem to like breaking tradition in this pack, Warren and Kyle could totally have Mercy perform the ceremony.”

I hadn’t realized that.

“Mercy’s going to be a witness,” Kyle said without looking up from his phone, “but thanks for the suggestion.”

“I am?” She looked up long enough to get killed by Zack.

Kyle put his phone down when she swore. “Come on. I’ll help you make brownies.”

I didn’t survive much longer. I was too busy thinking about Auriel’s comment.

By the end of the night, Mercy had offered us their backyard or living room for the ceremony and Honey had agreed to officiate. We could’ve gotten married that next week--neither of us wanted anything flashy--but Kyle wanted to invite his sister, and we wanted a bit of a honeymoon, even if we weren’t going to go anywhere. So we waited a bit for Kyle to get through his current set of clients. And then a few days more ‘cause there was a full moon. Funny how even if you don’t want nothing fancy, a wedding still takes a bit to plan.


	2. Chapter 2

Kyle turned off the alarm on his phone, and then rolled over to kiss me. His phone rang before the kiss could get truly interesting. It was one of his clients having last-minute doubts about her decision. He looked at the time and decided if he hurried, he could meet her before he had to get to the courthouse.

I got one more quick kiss before he ran out the door.

Me and Zack ate breakfast together before I dropped him off at work. We were just about finished when he leaned over and rested his head on my shoulder.

“Don’t worry. We have everything taken care of. All you have to do is get the two of you to Adam’s after dinner tonight.” His words and touch were calming.

I took a deep breath. “Thanks.”

Before we left, I slid my ring off my finger and placed it back in the little black box it had come in. I gave that and a second identical box to Zack and watched him tuck them into his duffel bag. Adam would pick him up from work. He’d be spending the next two weeks with Adam. Our clothes for the wedding were already at Adam’s.

It took me about five minutes to miss the weight of my ring.

The day passed much too slowly. I was just doing paperwork for Angelina (and a few things for Kyle), but I kept going back to my moment with Zack. He was right. Adam and Honey knew what needed to be done. There was nothing complicated about tonight. The worst that could happen would be we forget a pen. Who was in charge of the pen? Honey? She had our licence...

It was a long day.

* * *

I heard from Kyle about four o’clock.

-Apparently I have a flat tire. At least I found it before I’d driven anywhere.

-want me to come change it?

-I may be a pretty face, but that doesn’t mean I can’t change a tire.

-Thanks, but I’ll just see you at home. We have time.

-be safe. Love you.

I didn’t start to worry until I got the second set of texts.

-Somehow I have TWO flat tires.

-Is that a thing that just happens?

-Do I have any clients who hate me right now?

-Don’t worry; I called a tow truck.

-I’ll come get you. We’ll have one of the pack get your car.

I was on my way home. The courthouse was the other direction. It’d take me a bit to get there, but I’d feel less useless if I were at least with him.

Kyle was waiting for me at the security hut for the underground parking. He looked exhausted.

“You beat the tow truck here. I need to wait here so I can show him where it is.”

“I figured you might. Where should I park?”

“Rick says you can use the security parking over there.”

I found the stalls easily enough and walked back to wait with Kyle and the security guard named Rick. Luckily, the tow truck was not far behind me, and we managed to head out just at the end of the buffer zone we’d given ourselves. I still texted Adam that we might be a bit late.

We were about halfway home when Kyle got a text. He chuckled and showed it to me at the next light. The ID said “Hannah (human pack)”.

-Make sure you feed him. Trust me. You don’t want a hungry grumpy wolf at your wedding. And it’s not like they can start w/o you.

“You didn’t get breakfast this morning.”

He squirmed. “I might have worked through lunch, too.”

I looked at him. He might not eat as much as a werewolf, but his tendency to miss meals when he was working wasn’t healthy. And it worried my wolf.

“Tell her that is an excellent idea and we might be a bit late.”

* * *

We got to Adam’s almost two hours later than we had planned. But like Hannah said, they couldn’t exactly start without us. And seeing as Honey was going to officiate, we didn’t even have to pay some magistrate or justice of the peace for his time.

Adam and Mercy were waiting in the front room for us. Mercy led Kyle down the hall and Adam took me upstairs to a guest bedroom. I didn’t need his help to get ready, but his presence was calming and I could ask him all the questions that had been running circles in my head all day. He agreed to have an extra pen in his pocket. Kyle’s sister had arrived. Zack still had our rings. He also told me they thought we should do it outside considering how nice it was. I agreed. He said they already had chairs set up for our guests.

Our clothes were the one thing Kyle insisted we spend actual time and money on. I’d have been just fine getting married in whatever we were wearing. I’d have been fine getting married in rags. Kyle thoughted we should look nice. He also insisted we couldn’t wear anything we’d worn while investigating or working on a divorce. He’s not normally superstitious, my Kyle, but my wolf and I agreed with him.

Which is how I ended up in jeans so crisp they felt like cardboard, a button-up and blazer that still smelled like the store, and brand new boots that would give me blisters by the end of the night. Even my underwear was fresh from the packet.

Kyle would be wearing a $700 suit. He insisted it only counted as a $500 suit since that’s what he paid for it. I told him the sale price didn’t count; it’s still a $700 suit.

“You look good.” Adam interrupted my meandering thoughts. “You ready?”

“I think so. Kyle’s gonna be at least another five minutes.”

He chuckled. “Well, why don’t we go find that extra pen you wanted and then we’ll wait for him outside.”


	3. Chapter 3

When Adam led me into the backyard, I froze.

The chairs from the upstairs meeting room had been arranged in rows across the patio. And they were full. The entire pack was here, including the human wives. In front of them was an archway of some kind of leafy branches and strung with white christmas lights. It was beautiful.

“We felt this deserved a little more fanfare.” Adam said softly.

I turned and hugged him. I took a deep breath of my Alpha’s scent to pull myself together.

“Come on. Let’s get you to your spot.”

I nodded and let him lead me to the archway where Honey was waiting.

“I thought Kyle said you couldn’t be more beautiful than him today.”

She smiled. “He approved the dress, I’ll have you know.”

“So you’re saying it’s his own fault?”

“Absolutely.”

The banter was a nice distraction, but it was forgotten a moment later when the backdoor opened. Mercy stepped out, wearing a dress for the second time in the years I’d known her, and behind her was Kyle. My Kyle. I found it didn’t matter that it was a $700 suit. He looked stunning.

And a little stunned. I heard Mercy give him the same explanation Adam gave me, just before Kyle’s sister stepped up to give him a hug. She told him she was proud of him. Then she took one elbow and Mercy took the other as they led him towards me. The shock on his face shifted to excitement and joy. My beautiful but cynical boyfriend was tearing up by the time he got to me.

I don’t remember what Honey said. The words didn’t matter. What mattered is that they bound us, as surely as Adam had bound me to him after Mercy introduced us. My wolf felt it too. Kyle was  _ ours _ . And would be for the rest of his life.

“By the authority vested in me by the State of Washington, I pronounce you married. You may kiss.”

When Kyle took my face in his hands, I realized I was crying, but it was ok because by that point, so was he. Then he kissed me, fierce and possessive, and the pack cheered for us.

When we pulled back, still watching each other in amazement, Honey and Adam traded places. I looked at him with a question. What was he doing? This was not something we had planned. He just smiled at me to trust him and set a hand on each of our shoulders.

“As Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack, I recognize Kyle Brooks as Warren’s husband and mate, and grant him the rights and privileges of belonging to our pack family. Welcome.” His words didn’t change anything. They acknowledged publicly what most of the pack knew. It felt good to hear Adam say them anyways.

Kyle looked uncertainly between us.

“The response is ‘thank you.’” I prompted softly.

He shook his head slightly, but said “Thank you.”

I smiled at him, then turned to Adam, meeting his eyes for just a moment, letting him see what his words meant to me, before bowing my head. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And congratulations.” He pulled us both into a hug, and the mood broke.

Mercy nudged Adam aside and pulled me into a hug, then let me go to hug Kyle as Honey stepped over to hug me. The next few minutes was a series of hugs and handshakes. I heard several people tell Kyle “welcome to the family.” Most of the pack offered congratulations, though a few were more grudging than the rest.

We were ushered towards the house where a couple card tables were set up with trays of brownies and gallons of milk.

“We decided a cake would be a little too much.” Mercy informed us, handing us each a brownie.

I looked at Kyle who shrugged and offered me his brownie. I took a bite and offered one back. The pack cheered again. Kyle and I laughed and shared an eye roll before getting gently shoved aside as everyone else claimed Mercy’s brownies.

I stood with Kyle in a corner of the patio, momentarily forgotten as the brownies were slaughtered and devoured.

“This was really nice of them.” Kyle said softly, but plenty loud for the pack to hear.

“Yeah.”

“I mean, I would have been happy with just what we had planned, but ...”

“I’m just grateful there were no butterflies.”

“Mercy suggested it.” Zack said coming over. “Something about her mom wanting them for her wedding?”

I grinned. “That was the tipping point that made her decide to elope. We hijacked her elopement and...” I gestured to the archway someone had set up for us.

“But much more extravagant.” Kyle added.

Zack shook his head in amusement. “Here. You probably want these.” He handed over the empty ring boxes, then dropped to a whisper. “Also, you should get out of here before anyone gets any ideas.”

I glanced around at the group, my family. They all seemed pretty distracted, but most of them were werewolves and used to pretending. I nodded my thanks to Zack, then slid an arm around Kyle and led him around the side of the house to my truck.

“What do you think they had planned?” Kyle asked a few minutes later.

“Absolutely nothin’. I just took the excuse to get you out of there.”

“You sure? I remember some of the plans for Adam and Mercy.”

“Mercy’s surprise wedding didn’t include two flat tires and leaving her beloved car at a shop overnight.” I glanced over to watch him make the connections.

“They didn’t...”

“I bet the shop calls tomorrow and says the tires are fine, and someone just let the air out.”

He shook his head. “We would have been here well before sunset.”

“Wouldn’t have been darn near as romantic.”

“No...” he looked thoughtful. “I think we owe them.”

“For touching your car, or for hijacking our wedding.”

He grinned at me. “Both. Definitely both.”


End file.
